My hands slide down my face before clawing their way back through my hair.
Who am I kidding? At this point, I’d sever a limb just to have her look at me.
Dammit. Everything is fucked.
The chair moves back, scraping along the floor as I push up. I’m not going to just sit here and wait. We have way too much history between us to throw it away. We’ll figure it out. We always figure it out.
I make my way up to the hall where her room is, and rap my knuckles on her door. There’s no movement from the other side. I twist the knob and push. It opens easily. Her bed is made andthe room tidy. The books she bought from Moorechester sit on her nightstand, and a few notebooks for class rest on the end of her bed. Nori, however, is nowhere to be found. Not surprising, though. She’s doing a remarkable job of avoiding me.
I glance at the bed one more time. The memory of her writhing beneath me comes to the forefront. Her tiny moans and pleas not to stop ring through my ears. I firmly shut the door and head back to the first floor, wanting to get out of the Noctryn wing as quickly as possible.
The air is palpable with dirty magic.
“Ballard,” a feminine voice calls from up ahead. A first-year Noctryn, according to the marks on her uniform, skips down the steps toward me. “Hey,” she says out of breath, stopping a few steps above me.
I nod in acknowledgment, not in the mood to talk.
She tucks her black hair behind her ear and doesn’t retreat from my callous greeting. “Have you seen Nori? We were supposed to meet to study for an upcoming test for our Blood Magic class.”
An icy feeling works its way down my spine.
“When?” I ask sharply, forcing myself not to jump to any conclusions.
“About an hour ago, but she didn’t show.”
I can feel my shoulders stiffen, but I keep my composure. “Your name?” I demand.
She reaches her hand out to shake mine. “Mayline Zhou. Nice to meet you.”
I quickly shake it and start walking down the steps. “Where were you scheduled to meet?” I need details, and I need them quickly. It’s not like Nori to bail on someone, not even when her own world falls around her feet.
“The study hall. I waited well past our meeting time, but she just never showed.”
I push past classrooms and down corridors, not bothering to see if she’s keeping up.
I finally reach the study hall and throw the doors open.
Empty.
Racing back toward the main floor, Mayline at my heels, a foreboding feeling rises, heavy in my chest. I pick up the speed, almost at a full-blown run. The sound of armor greets my ears as I skid into the foyer. Kingston and a handful of others are suited up, weapons strapped to every inch of their armor.
“What’s going on?” I order, my voice carrying over the clinking of weapons.
Kingston turns his head toward me, his eyes full of hatred.
“Wraith attack,” he answers, sliding his helmet on.
Mayline’s worried eyes meet mine.
And then all hell breaks loose.
Chapter thirty-two
The throbbing in my head finally wakes me up.
Each breath I take feels like a mouthful of gravel sliding down my parched throat. A chemical residue lingers on my tongue, and the taste of it heightens the nauseous feeling pinging around my stomach. Sand crunches beneath my face, sticking to my cheek as I slowly try to lift my head. The air is stifling and thick with the smell of rotting meat, iron, and sweat.
I gag and swallow down the will to vomit.
